Opinion Gary Ablett Senior

[vinum coupe]

Hmm, not so sure.

Ablett threw his weight around, but I don't recall him performing such a dog act on a totally defenceless, unaware player.

Really? Not see bobbys. Video above?

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

I hated that year.
Ablett pretty much cost us the flag.

He was mostly, complete crap.
His VFL game on return makes Smedts look like Hayden Bunton.


He never, ever, got fit.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Now that would have been some fight. Brereton and Ablett.

Luckily for Derm it didn't eventuate. You could say unluckily for football followers, then we wouldn't have the displeasure of having to watch him in todays media... there would be no Derm.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Yes, the punches they copped in the back of the head whenever they were on a lead were just standard practice.

Steven Baker-like?

 

[Teriyakicat]

As a former CHB I cam testify that those punches were purely miscalculations.

oh... riiiight.... you mean like Zac Dawson does? Gee, he can be clumsy sometimes, can't he?

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

he did do some ugly things though.
I have footage of him king hitting Frawley at the base of a pack and pretty much putting him out for the count. Another where he threw his elbow back and connected flush with Garry Lyon's jaw which also knocked him out.
On the flip side though, Ablett use to cop his fair share of heavy hits but he never hesitated in throwing his weight around.

In round 6, 1989 versus Hawthorn, there was a play out on the far wing and Brereton saw Ablett racing after the ball, he went in to try and hit Ablett in typical Dermott fashion but came off second best. Brereton protested to the umpire but nothing came of it. Now that would have been some fight. Brereton and Ablett.

He certainly wasn't a choir boy - he had his fair share of the "good , bad and the ugly"
I think most that had seen him play would acknowledge he did some ordinary things but he was also brutally hard and fair for the vast majority of the time.
As hard as he was his mastery of the game was what captivated us all - just sublime to watch.

 

[Cataholic]

Gazza was worse.
Just.

Will politely disagree.

 

[catempire]

Was it Kristian Bardsley that Ablett split open real good one time? Ablett had real mongrel, no doubt, as did Lockett. Don't think I could split them.

 

[Turbocat]

Was it Kristian Bardsley that Ablett split open real good one time? Ablett had real mongrel, no doubt, as did Lockett. Don't think I could split them.

Is that a question?
Yes Bardsley , city end , GA fended off with an forearm/elbow but Bardley sort went low ..... and of course the papers just had the pictures with blood everywhere to ensure the 5 weeks he got. GA had some rippers , he got 3 weeks in his first game for Geelong didn't he? The one where he nearly killed Wayne Johnson was pretty good , or there was an Adelaide player about the 50 Metre line River end , under the old score board. I can remember GA sort of read the ball going to him , and the ball hung in the air...it was like it was duck season and the Crows guy was Daffy. Man I reckon they heard the noise at the Train Station. Funnily , I think the guy might have actually come to play to Geelong a couple of years later. Got Worsfold too but he was tough little grommit.

But Locket was bigger , and perhaps even a little nastier. Nearly strangled Ess player Cox.

 

[catempire]

Ablett used to just run through blokes too. At pace, 95kg of muscle, elbow tucked in just pummelling an unsuspecting opposition player camped under the ball. It used to make me wince watching it happen.

 

[FredLeDeux]

A repost from page 4 of this thread, which I originally picked up from an old web page by, I think, John Hirst

Cleaned Up By Gazza (many of whom couldn't play the next week)

More than a few of these weren't just hip and shoulders. Some were reports and a lot of blokes were just belted.

B: Peter Czerkaski (Rich), Danny Frawley (StK), John Gastev (Bris)

HB: Don Pyke (WC), Mick Gayfer (Coll), Peter Dean (Carl)

C: Robert Dipierdomenico (Haw), Wayne Johnson (Carl), Dean McRae (Syd)

HF: Peter Daicos (Coll), Karl Langdon (WC), Rohan Smith (Foot)

F: Brent Heaver (Carl), Garry Lyon (Melb), Dale Weightman (Rich)

R: Alex Ischenko (WC), Tim Watson (Ess), Garry Wilson (Fitz)

I/C from: Kristian Bardsley (StK), Greg Epplestun (NM), A Bennett (Haw), Richard Osborne (Fitz), Gary Pert (Coll), Peter Foster (Foots), Mark Bairstow (WA), Mick Martyn (NM), Nathan Burke (StK), Mitchell White (WC), Michael McKenna (Foot), Gary Ayres (Haw), Jim Jess (Rich), Steven Wallis (Foot), Ben Hart (Adel)

I remember one of those old Hun Player polls where all the other players voted him the Hardest Hitter in the League. It looks like he had 30 odd votes' start on anybody else.

 

[vinum coupe]

Is that a question?
Yes Bardsley , city end , GA fended off with an forearm/elbow but Bardley sort went low ..... and of course the papers just had the pictures with blood everywhere to ensure the 5 weeks he got. GA had some rippers , he got 3 weeks in his first game for Geelong didn't he? The one where he nearly killed Wayne Johnson was pretty good , or there was an Adelaide player about the 50 Metre line River end , under the old score board. I can remember GA sort of read the ball going to him , and the ball hung in the air...it was like it was duck season and the Crows guy was Daffy. Man I reckon they heard the noise at the Train Station. Funnily , I think the guy might have actually come to play to Geelong a couple of years later. Got Worsfold too but he was tough little grommit.

But Locket was bigger , and perhaps even a little nastier. Nearly strangled Ess player Cox.

The Wayne Johnson one wasn't an incorrect hit though.
That was on the boundary at the ford stand. I remember it.

It was a simple bump at full thottle near the boundary.
Johnson has admitted that finished his career.

His bones must have rattled. I've never seen a harder bump.

 

[vinum coupe]

And then was gastev....how he got off that...

 

[Turbocat]

The Wayne Johnson one wasn't an incorrect hit though.
That was on the boundary at the ford stand. I remember it.

It was a simple bump at full thottle near the boundary.
Johnson has admitted that finished his career.

His bones must have rattled. I've never seen a harder bump.

Didn't say illegal did I ?, it was not my intention. I just meant to remember a few fair or not ..they were hard.

 

[dazbroncos]

And then was gastev....how he got off that...

Thats the one i remember a lot of.

He just ploughed thru him and ripped him into 2.
One of the hardest predetermined bumps I've seen.

Go Catters

 

[steady2]

A repost from page 4 of this thread, which I originally picked up from an old web page by, I think, John Hirst

All that means is that he was really tough, 'the hardest hitter' comes with the body. In those days the game was played differently and teams which had an enforcer like Brereton could sometimes play dirty and win a game that they should have lost (1989 Second-Semi). Ablett was not like that, for the most part he simply hit anything that got in his way, hard.

 

[Whit3y]

he saved his "biggest hit" for the richmond football club

each and every time we played hem, they walked away mortally wounded

 

[FredLeDeux]

he saved his "biggest hit" for the richmond football club

each and every time we played hem, they walked away mortally wounded

If they're all playing dead, that would explain a lot of Richmond performances.

 

[steady2]

Thats the one i remember a lot of.

He just ploughed thru him and ripped him into 2.
One of the hardest predetermined bumps I've seen...

Yes, I remember Ablett leading and the ball was kicked to him, Gastev ran back to attempt to block Ablett but had no chance. Ablett was able to mark, pull the bicep down and line up Gastev for a "predetermined bump" and SMACK. I think Ablett may have gotten off that, but Gastev was running directly at Ablett and did not have eyes for the ball. White line fever.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Yes, I remember Ablett leading and the ball was kicked to him, Gastev ran back to attempt to block Ablett but had no chance. Ablett was able to mark, pull the bicep down and line up Gastev for a "predetermined bump" and SMACK. I think Ablett may have gotten off that, but Gastev was running directly at Ablett and did not have eyes for the ball. White line fever.

I remember Ablett, in one of his interviews (maybe the Barassi one) saying in effect that he'd warn blokes stationed at CHB to stop his leads that "I wouldn't stand there, if I was you", and after that it was their lookout.

 

[Partridge]

he did do some ugly things though.
I have footage of him king hitting Frawley at the base of a pack and pretty much putting him out for the count. Another where he threw his elbow back and connected flush with Garry Lyon's jaw which also knocked him out.
On the flip side though, Ablett use to cop his fair share of heavy hits but he never hesitated in throwing his weight around.

I can't remember the one with Frawley. I remember at Waverley once their legs got tangled up when diving for a loose ball and Ablett kicked Frawley in the groin (completely accidentally, he had his back to him). That's all I can recall. There was the Lyon incident, but I'm pretty certain that would have been due to Lyon tagging Ablett and hanging on too long. For comparison, that's exactly why Brereton king hit Frawley behind play at the MCG in 1988 and got 6 weeks for it.

I've always rated Damian Bourke and Garry Hocking as far dirtier players than Ablett.

 

[Turbocat]

I still believe the one where he hit Dipierdomenico in the grand final was one of the most brutal bumps I have ever seen. Hit him with such velocity that both blokes bounced off one another. The fact Dipierdomenico got back up to his feet and played out the remainder of the match is quite an accomplishment.

So much was made of the Brereton/Yeates bump (most of it coming from Brereton who still craps on about himself 2½ decades later), you almost forget about Dippa who literally punctured his lung in that collision with Ablett.

Yep.. Literally nearly killed him. He kept playing , and was in serious trouble by the end of the game.

I have heard it said , the mistake we made was not hitting Dermie again in that Game , and for game thats so highly thought of the margin was over 5-6 goals for most of the match. Just another "great" game with Geelong getting beaten for mine.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

I can't remember the one with Frawley. I remember at Waverley once their legs got tangled up when diving for a loose ball and Ablett kicked Frawley in the groin (completely accidentally, he had his back to him). That's all I can recall. There was the Lyon incident, but I'm pretty certain that would have been due to Lyon tagging Ablett and hanging on too long. For comparison, that's exactly why Brereton king hit Frawley behind play at the MCG in 1988 and got 6 weeks for it.

I've always rated Damian Bourke and Garry Hocking as far dirtier players than Ablett.

No - id have Ablett above both those 2 - the Don Pyke ( who was a very fair player) incident - that could only be described as a vicious - intentional forearm to the head - knocked him out - the Kretiuk incident - his hands- fingers seemed very close to Kretiuks eyes

My big five - dirtiest - nastiest Geelong players ever

(1) Ablett - for reasons already mentioned

(2) John Devine - some of the stuff he did - i can remember when i was a kid - every now and again Devine would get 4 weeks suspension - when that was the standard penalty for striking - then when he went to Tasmania as a captain coach - im pretty sure ( might be wrong ) that a player wanted to take Devine to court for injuries suffered in a game

(3)( Geoff Rosenow - a copper - some of the stuff he dished out - including punching a Nth Melb coach

(4) Hocking - he must have been nearly a lout at one stage - because i can remember Blight saying more than once - its a credit how Gary has turned his life around - Hocking and his mate Rice - apparently they were very close to going the wrong side of the tracks

(5) Bourke - and those swinging arms - i thought he was a bit of a sniper - a few would like to get in the boxing ring with him - where it would be a much fairer fight

 

[David the Cat]

The Don Pyke incident you refer to was in the 1992 GF…. Pyke lined Ablett up….and lost….…I was not far away from it…

look at 13 minutes in….Pyke ran at Ablett..no eyes on the ball..lined Ablett up...…Ablett raised an arm just before contact. Pyke was looking for contact……and got it.

There was sniping going on for the first 25 minutes or so….btw…Pyke returned to the field..Look at 28.50 for example….the hit on Hinkley by Wilson…it was going on all the first quarter. Amazing to see…half the players would be reported under todays rules by 1/4 time !!! Ablett's hit was par for the course.

Kretiuk made Crowley look like a choir boy…probably got what he deserved….

As for "the blue in the race" …..Killegrew (the North coach and an aggressive SOB) confronted Rosenow who put him in his place…Rosenow was not suspended for the incident as I recall….it was never really revealed what occurred exactly…but many believed Killegrew got what he deserved.

Different era….different rules….Ablett was no better or worse a thug as Mathews…hard men playing hard….both great great players. Brereton, Greg Williams,Dipierdomenico,Worsfold, Ronny Andrews…..…oh the list goes on….that's the way it was played in those days…

Johnny Devine……now there was one tough dude. Devine and Ian "Bluey" Shelton were the worst I saw...

 

[Cosmic Energy]

hey cat fans, and yes this thread is about the great Gary Ablett.. I used to love watching the big guy play, probly why i chose geelong as my team.. i think i was about 11 when he retired.. but anyway, because i was that small, i never used to know about his training and all that. And i had recently heard from a good source that he never used to train as much as the other players, because he was just a freak, and just used to kill the rest of the team in 100m sprints and all that. And when they would go to the gym for a work out, he did everything with ease, and his teammates used to just think he was abnormal, probly why he was the greatest player to ever play AFL..

I recently found a 2nd hand book on Ablett from the mid 90s from Ken Piesse that I can't recall reading before, or at least a version of it I hadn't read. Here are some excerpts on Gary's lack of training from the Hafey era:

While his performances on the field throughout 1985 could hardly be faulted, Ablett didn’t train as often as his teammates and often baulked at Hafey’s training demands. Hafey admired Ablett’s natural fitness and skills, but he would have liked to have seen him train more frequently – and for full sessions at a time. “Gary would go home to Drouin at Christmas. You’d never see him,” he said. “A lot of players used to get very upset that he missed training so often, particularly on bad nights. He probably bluffed the medical people, too, saying he had pulled a hamstring. ‘Is it alright if I can go in and get a bit of stuff on this?’ he’d say to me. ‘I’ll be out in a minute’ or, ‘I have to check on this.’

‘You’d go in and he’d be down (club president) Dr (Kevin) Threlfall’s medical centre. He pulled the wool over those people’s eyes and was allowed to get away with it. The players did get upset. Some felt it was all very well to be starring, (but) as soon as the side started to get criticised for being soft and not having discipline, they all wanted to point the finger at the likes of Gary, Bruce Lindner and people like that.”

More from Hafey:

“You just don’t put Gary in the same training category as players like Neville Bruns, Tony Shaw, Barry Mitchell or Stevie Wright. It was just that he never turned up all the time. When they’re out of sight, they’re out of mind….you like to get everyone doing the right thing.”